The Underground of Happiness

If you take a flick around these pages over the last couple of years, you'll find plenty of mention of SlowPlaceLikeHome (the search function will do it if you're stuck for time). I first heard the name in January 2012, having been tipped the wink by Albert of Plugd Records here in Cork. That was an EP, the enigmatically titled Coastal hubs for chivalry and I was immediately interested. Another two EPs followed over the following 18 months, each one a beguiling mixture of kosmische, folk and jazz tones, shoegaze and an element of the dreamier end of trip-hop. The debut album of SPLH was released a few weeks ago and here's a review of it I wrote for WeAreNoise (a couple of minor edits since original publication). Suffice to say the album is highly recommended. http://wearenoise.com/slowplacelikehome-romola-bluestack-records/ It’s great to finally see and hear the self-produced debut album by SlowPlaceLikeHome, aka Keith Mannion from Donegal, following a series of e...

The first taste of the debut album of Keith Mannion from Donegal and it’s very much in keeping with the EPs that came before it; that is to say, warm and fuzzy synth textures with buckets of heart and soul. There’s a class tune at the core, with more than a hint of kosmische to it, although considerably more uptempo than that might lead you to believe. But what I like most about it is the wonderful building arrangement, a great combination of pulses and washes and squelches. And (in a break from the earlier EPs) some vocals you can actually – mostly – decipher. Say hello to the soundtrack of your summer.

I had the pleasure a few weeks ago of seeing SlowPlaceLikeHome play live, when they appeared at the TDC space of Triskel Arts Centre in Cork as part of a kind of fringe to Cork Film Festival . They've only played a handful of times live but you'd think they'd been at it for years, such was the confidence and poise of the sound. I also interviewed Keith Mannion (the main brains behind SPLH) in advance of that gig for WeAreNoise , to ask him about the upcoming debut album, Romola , his recording process and some other stuff. It was particularly interesting to hear his thoughts on how sounds take shape and suggest themselves into something enduring. Here's an excerpt. http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2013/11/slowplacelikehome-qa/ After your three EP’s last year, Coastal hubs for chivalry, Post-hoc and There go the lights again , will the album consist of new material? Totally new material. I think I have gone through a dozen different drafts of the n...

Originally published on http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2012/06/slow-place-like-home-there-go-the-lights-again-ep/ More superior ambient electronica delivered with gusto (a technical term) from the Atlantic North West. Meet Keith Mannion from Donegal, who marshals synths, drum machines and samplers but keeps them sounding warm and organic. His Coastal hubs for chivalry EP in January made a very good impression on me and, if anything, this one is even better. ‘You’re so square you’ve got corners’ kicks things off on quite a bright uptempo note, high pitched snares and laser gun drum fills under intertwining synth lines carrying the middle ground, until it gathers its forces with the extremely hummable refrain “ you’re not awake ”. Speaking of hummable, the bassline is a whole hook unto itself. ‘Selkie’ we’ve mentioned previously, a child’s spoken intro of “ bzzz said the bumble bee ” prefacing a gorgeous, pastoral instrumental over a dainty breakbeat, using flute and harpsi...

Donegal-based Keith Mannion brings us a set of diverse but finely balanced electronic (semi-) instrumentals. Opener Carte blanche somehow manages to combine a propulsive rhythm with a sunny, chill-out atmosphere, helped by children’s playground recordings. The title track takes a smoky, trumpet-lead jazz tune and cuts it into glitchy, hip hop pieces. We learned to tilt at windmills has something of Air about it, all synth power chords and wide open spaces. My own favourite is the post-kosmische hum and swell of The long and winding tide , culminating in a beautiful, heartfelt melody. Encouraging stuff from the Atlantic North-West corridor. Coastal Hubs for Chivalry EP will be available for free download from the SPLH Bandcamp page from Monday, January 23rd